What Are California, Texas, and Other States Known for Manufacturing? (2024)

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During an appointment recently, I was chatting with someone from outside of the U.S. who asked where I was from. When I said Kansas, they looked at me, furrowed their eyebrows in curiosity, and asked, “What’s that place all about?”

This question made me laugh out loud, primarily because I had never heard someone ask about a state in this way. But also because, as we had this conversation in Illinois, I figured she wanted me to equate something Kansas was known for like how Chicago is known for its deep dish pizza or anti-ketchup-on-hotdog propaganda. Or, perhaps, its historic architecture and bulbous tourist-attracting sculpture often referred to as “The Bean.”

I thought back to the research I had done for a previous Thomas Insights article about what states are known for manufacturing. And here I am working my way through the rest of the states.

So, what is Kansas “all about”? This article explores its most iconic product, as well as that of eight other U.S. states.

Arkansas: Broilers

With the headquarters of one of the world’s largest producers of meat and poultry in Springdale, Arkansas is known for its broilers, or chickens raised for consumption. Tyson Chicken is headquartered here.

The state has more than 2,400 broiler farms that yield nearly 6 million pounds of broiler meat each year. Because Arkansas leads the nation in poultry production, it accounts for one in four agricultural jobs in the state. As well, poultry production generates an additional 70,000 jobs in supplier and ancillary industries.

A fun fact, according to the Arkansas Farm Bureau, is that today it takes around 47 days to produce a 6-pound chicken, but in 1925, it took more than two times as long to grow a 2.5-pound chicken.

California: Wine

This likely doesn’t come as a surprise, but California is known for its iconic wine cities like Napa and Sonoma. What you might not know is that the state actually produces more than 80% of U.S. wine. Last year, California delivered 649,437,429 out of 773,139,796 gallons of wine in the U.S.

The history of California wine-making began in the 1700s and the state has become the world’s fourth-leading wine producer with 3,600 thousand tons of wine grapes harvested last year.

According to California Wine, the state’s wine industry accounts for $57.6 billion in state economic impact, as well as $114 billion in national economic impact. Nationwide, the industry represents 786,000 jobs.

If you’re interested in getting paid to live on a vineyard, Murphy-Goode Winery looks to hire a few people each year to shadow winemaker Dave Ready Jr. and learn everything there is to know about the industry. We also dive more deeply into the three tiers of the wine supply chain here.

Connecticut: Insurance

Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, is known as the Insurance Capital of the World. That’s because some of the U.S.’ biggest insurance companies have headquarters in the state, including Aetna and Cigna. Home to more than 100 insurance companies, Connecticut ranks number one in the United States for the percentage of people employed in insurance.

Since companies began establishing themselves in Hartford in the 19th century, insurance giants have only become more important to the state’s economic and social vitality. The state’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the Connecticut River made it a prime location for transatlantic trade. And as merchants grew increasingly concerned about warehouse fires, the Hartford Fire Insurance Company was formed in 1810.

Fun fact: While Abraham Lincoln lived in Illinois, he insured his home through Connecticut's Harford Fire Insurance Company.

Indiana: Limestone

From the Pentagon to the Empire State Building, some of the nation’s most iconic buildings were built using limestone extracted from quarries in Indiana. What makes the limestone from the state stand out is that it’s a freestone, meaning it has “no preferential direction of splitting.” It is made up of 97% calcite, which makes it more durable than most man-made products.

By the 20th century, Indiana limestone made up more than 80% of the U.S. industry. With several active quarries in the state, there are more than 2.7 million cubic feet of limestone quarried in Indiana, and the industry generates $26 million in annual revenue. The Indiana limestone industry employs stone cutters and carvers who meticulously work limestone into unique shapes and sizes for a variety of projects.

Kansas: Wheat

We have finally made it to the state you have all been waiting for, and you might have guessed it: yes, Kansas is known for its wheat. If you aren’t from the midwest, your familiarity with Kansas might come from the iconic film The Wizard of Oz. Apparently, the original lyrics to “Over the Rainbow” (which is in the film) included the lyrics “Somewhere down past the wheat field, skies are gray.”

Out of the 41 states that produce wheat, Kansas produces, stores, and exports the majority of it. Earning the nickname the “Wheat State,” around 330 million bushels of wheat are produced on 7 million acres every year. This is enough to bake 36 billion loaves of bread.

Around half of the wheat produced in Kansas is exported, with each American consuming about 132 pounds of wheat flour every year.

New Hampshire: Granite

Like limestone to Indiana, New Hampshire has supplied granite for iconic monuments like the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. and the Quincy Market in Boston.

As granite mining gained ground (no pun intended) in the 1700s, private ownership of quarriers really took off. For example, the largest New Hampshire quarry was acquired in the 1800s and is now run by fifth-generation family members.

When the Library of Congress was built in the late 1800s, it took 300 workers six years to split and finish 350,000 cubic feet of granite to finish the project. Today, New Hampshire still makes good use of its granite. The Concord Quarry, for example, produces 25,000 tons annually.

Additionally, the state’s export of industrial and electrical machinery — often used in mining granite — hit a record high of $6.4 billion in 2021, a 16% increase from 2020.

North Carolina: Textiles

The textile industry has ebbed and flowed throughout history, but North Carolina has remained a leader in the industry.

One of the nation’s top manufacturing states, North Carolina is home to 25% of all textile manufacturers in the United States with more than 25,000 employees. It also leads the United States in textile exports, with $1.4 billion worth of textile goods exported globally each year.

Like many sectors during the pandemic, the textile industry faced economic challenges. However, North Carolina has nearly 400 textile manufacturing establishments in the state, according to a study by the Wilson College of Textiles’ Zeis Textiles Extension.

Because of its two deepwater seaports and quality rail carriers, the state has access to millions of suppliers and customers.

Texas: Petroleum

With the exception of one year, Texas has led the United States in petroleum production since 1970, with 43% of the nation’s crude oil reserves lying beneath the Lone Star State. That’s why it’s no surprise Texas is home to the headquarters of Phillips 66, ExxonMobil, and Valero Energy Corp.

In Texas, there are 31 petroleum refineries that process a total of 5.9 million barrels of crude oil every single day. This is 32% of the United States’ refining capacity. As well, more than one-fourth of the 100 largest oil fields in the United States are located in Texas.

Home to two of the four U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) crude oil storage sites, managed by the Department of Energy, Texas’ SPR sites have the capacity to hold 714 million barrels of crude oil at a time. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the SPR released more crude oil to maintain supply levels.

While being the largest producer, Texas is also the largest consumer of petroleum.

West Virginia: Coal

Located in the Appalachian Mountain region, West Virginia is home to some of the greatest coal deposits. The state accounts for 13% of the nation’s total coal production, falling just behind Wyoming.

Most of the coal produced in the state is exported, with 33% of U.S. coal exports coming from West Virginia.

Due to less demand from the U.S. electric power sector for coal, the state’s total coal production was less than half of what it was in 2001 in 2020. Despite this decline, coal from West Virginia is seeing an increase in use in metallurgy, or the science of extracting metals from their ores and modifying the metals for use.

Read part one of the “Iconic Products” series here.

Image Credit: Avigator Fortuner / Shutterstock.com

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